A Twist of Fate
by Kaze Tsukai Kagura
Summary: Team Rocket attacks, again, but this time, Ash and Pikachu are separated from everyone else. However, just when all hope of searching is lost, a strange girl appears and assists them. Who is she, and what does she hold? Ashx? eventually.
1. Separated!

**After what seems to be the longest absence, I am back, and I have something epic to honor my return!**

**Warning: This story DOES contain a surprise shipping (wonder what it'll be).**

**Oh, and I was reminded to tell y'all that I don't own Pokemon. **

* * *

Being attacked by Team Rocket was really starting to feel old.

It was like an everyday routine for Ash Ketchum and his friends. They, as well as a few new friends they made, were being attacked by the "villainous" trio. Honestly, Ash thought that these daily attacks were starting to feel . . . robotic.

"Listen, guys," Ash said, "I hate to break it to you, but this daily 'stealing-Pokemon-and-getting-them-back-to-their-rightful-Trainers' thing is starting to feel old! You know what I'm gonna do anyway!"

"Ahahaha!" Jessie laughed. "But it's all we can do for a promotion from our boss. True, I am feeling that this is old as well; but there's no other way around getting a promotion! Curse Cassidy and Bill for getting there first! Uggghhhh!" She took out a Pokeball. "Seviper, show these twerps what it means to feel jealous and upset!"

"Seviiiiii!" Jessie's Seviper breathed out a hazy smokescreen. Ash, Dawn, Brock, as well as Barry and Kenny, couldn't see each other!

"Pika! Pika-pi!" (_You there? Ash?)_

"I'm here, buddy!"

"Ash, where are you?"

"Brock, I'm over here!"

"Over where?"

"Here! Follow my voice! Argh . . . can't see . . . can't see . . ."

"Piplup, where are you? Are you there?"

Jessie and James laughed as the kids tried to search for one another. Suddenly, they noticed Ash slipping out of the smoke and running in some random direction.

"Dat poor twerp has no clue where he's goin'," Meowth commented, stifling a laugh.

"I agree," James said. "Imagine him getting lost." He gasped excitedly. "Meaning . . . we won't have to be blasted off like every other moment!"

"Huzzah!" Jessie cheered. "Hooray for confusing twerps!"

"Wobbuffet~!" Wobbuffet chimed.

"Mime, mime, mime!"

* * *

Ash and Pikachu walked around aimlessly, calling out Dawn, Brock, Barry, Kenny, and even Piplup's names, but to no avail. The raven-haired boy's stomach was starting to growl, and he was feeling desperately hungry. For a while, they decided to search for edible berries and resume searching on full stomachs.

"Stupid Team Rocket," Ash groaned. "I'm getting sick of being interrupted by them."

"Pika, pikachu," Pikachu agreed. (_Me, too. I agree.)_

"I hope Dawn and the others find us," Ash said. "Being lost will slow our progress to the Sinnoh League." He looked up. "They're worried right now. I just know it. They're probably starting to search right now."

"Pika . . . " (_I hope . . .)_

By the time they had found some Oran and Pecha Berries, the sun was starting to set. Ash figured that the berries would be their dinner and breakfast until they either found Dawn and the others by chance or were rescued. The two ate slowly and sadly. As delicious and sweet the berries were, they could never match against Brock's delicious dinners. Brock was perhaps the greatest journeying cook Ash could ever ask for.

"Pikachu," he said to his yellow electric friend, "remind me to thank Brock for all the meals he has made for us during our journeys."

"Pika." (_Will do.)_

Ash smiled and then chuckled. "If I forget, you can shock me with your Thunderbolt, OK?"

Pikachu nodded his head.

* * *

Elsewhere, not too far away, a young white-haired girl was watching Ash and Pikachu eat and talk.

"You poor things," she said. "I'll help you get back to your friends."

And with that, she slowly slipped away . . .

* * *

**EDIT: DECIDED TO REMOVE OCs TO REDUCE ANY BIZARRE POTENTIAL CONFUSION.**

**Who could this girl be? Will she guide Ash and Pikachu back? Find out next chapter: The Mysterious Girl Guide!**


	2. No Way Out!

**Well . . . here's the second chapter. Maybe this will be review motivation montage time!**

**I forgot to mention that the later chapters of this story will have been inspired by "Dokomade mo Tomo ni" from the Xbox360 game "Tayutama -Kiss on my Deity-."**

**Same disclaimers apply.**

* * *

Ash woke up from what seemed to be a horribly long sleep. He looked around and noticed that the sun was starting to peek through the sky. It was a sign that he didn't sleep too long, and he sighed. He couldn't stop thinking about how worried Dawn, Brock, Barry, and Kenny might be now.

_None of them could probably sleep,_ he thought. _I'm sure they're sending search parties._

Just as Ash was about to get some of the berries out for breakfast, Pikachu awoke and greeted his trainer. Ash greeted his long-time friend back and handed some Oran berries out.

"These will give us energy," he said. "It's best if we eat them now. Who knows how long we will be searching for the others?" He looked up. "I hope we're not too far from them. This better not take too long."

Ash and Pikachu ate hastily and gathered their things. They weren't sure what direction to go, so they chose a random direction and headed that way. While Ash kept watch for any people, Pikachu kept watch for any potential wild Pokemon. They were in thick forest, so they had to be especially careful for any bug Pokemon, notably Beedrill or Kakuna. While Kakuna were normally harmless, their evolutions were spontaneous, and as new Beedrill, they could be vicious in attack.

When they reached the end of the dense forest, they found themselves at a river. Ash thought it would be good to build a boat and allow the river to go wherever it was headed. He figured that maybe he would find his friends.

"Pika, pikachu." (_No, don't! Not that way!)_

"Huh? Pikachu, what's wrong?" Ash asked.

Pikachu pointed down to the river and showed Ash the strong currents. A little wooden manmade boat would certainly not survive. The duo had fallen in similar rivers, but this one was really dangerous.

"Pikachu, what'll we do?" Ash asked. "I don't remember which way we came from, and picking another random direction would probably bring more danger upon us." The rest of his Pokemon were with Dawn, Brock, and the others since he was in the middle of a feeding, playing, and training session.

That meant he couldn't call upon Buizel to help them get across safely.

"We're trapped," Ash finally said. "We can't . . . go some other way." He looked at Pikachu. "You could get hurt by even stronger Pokemon. We may have to . . ." He gulped. "We may have to jump in anyway. Maybe we'll be lucky."

_"No! Don't! Don't jump in!"_

Startled, Ash turned and saw a girl emerging from the dense forest, but it wasn't just her voice that startld him.

It was her appearance.

* * *

**Mwhaha! Cliffie! Tell me who _you_ thnk this girl could be!**


	3. The Mysterious Girl!

**I don't mean to sound rude or pushy, but my traffic readings for this story have been considerably high. Are you guys afraid to review? I'll turn anonymous on if that makes you happy.**

**Same disclaimers apply, and here's a new chapter! We figure out who the girl is . . . somewhat. -crickets chirp- Hint: she is on the character list in the Pokemon fanfiction archive, but until you guys figure her out, I won't add her as the second character!**

* * *

Ash and Pikachu completely tuned out the roar of the violent river below them and observed the girl. She had silvery-white hair tied in a ponytail, and her eyes . . . were a mystical emerald green. She wore a strange, almost sleeveless dress-a gold turtleneck, long black stripe extending down from the turtleneck to her waist, seperate gold and white sleeves**(1)**, and gold and white boots. But what really struck out was the belt on her dress. In the center was the shape of a familiar golden cross-like wheel.

_No,_ Ash thought. _That's just a coincidence._

"What in the world do you think you two are doing?" the girl suddenly demanded sharply.

Ash nearly jumped out of his skin. "Ah . . . Pikachu and I got separated from our friends. We're trying to find our way back, but . . . we ended up here. I don't want to go down that river."

"Don't want to go down that river?" The girl thought for a moment. "Hmm . . . I can help, but first, close your eyes and don't peek!"

"Uhh . . . okay." Obediently, both Ash and Pikachu shut their eyes tight and put their trust in her. While they weren't looking, the girl summoned a blue item from nowhere and calmed the violent current. She smiled and turned to the duo.

"You may open your eyes now."

When both trainer and Pokemon did, they saw that both her golden belt and green eyes turned. . . an aquatic blue! Ash shook his head in disbelief, but Pikachu told him to shrug it off. Ash left what he saw as an odd coincidence and looked down at the river.

"Awesome!" he said. "How did-?"

The girl placed her hand near his mouth. "That is for me to know only. Now you said you were lost, right?"

He nodded.

"Why not build a boat?" she suggested. "The waters are calm now, so as long as I am here, you and your friend can reunite with the rest of your group."

"All right, great idea," he said. "Looks like we'll be back with the others faster than we expected, Pikachu."

"Pi-ka!" _(Hooray!)_

"Do you have other Pokemon with you?" the girl asked.

Ash hesitated, but shook his head sadly. "They're with . . . the rest of my friends." He sighed. "Looks like sailing back is off."

"Hmm . . ." Again, she thought for a moment. "Maybe . . . since building a boat will be impossible, I might know some other way."

Ash was surprised at her quick thinking. She always figured ways out of dilemmas very quickly, and he was lucky to have her guide him back. She was a quick thinker and not one to panic.

"Hey, before we possibly jump into the river and swim," he suddenly said, "what is your name?"

The girl turned. "Ah, my name . . . is Alpha."

* * *

**Oooh, we're getting more hints about the girl. She appears oddly familiar to Ash (though he thinks it's a coincidence) and says her name is Alpha. How does Ash _seem_ to know her? Find out later! Signing off!**

**Notes:**

**(1): The sleeves on her arms are similar to Miku Hatsune's or Sheena's from Pokemon movie 12: Arceus and the Jewel of Life.**


	4. An Odd Way Home!

**The ideas just keep coming and coming. Yay coffee! I mean . . . here's a new chapter.**

**Same disclaimers apply.**

* * *

After Ash got over his shock about hearing the girl's name, he shook his head in disbelief. Everything he was thinking of relating to this girl had to be a coincidence. There was no possible way she could be what he was thinking of.

"Why are you so shocked?" Alpha asked. "You've never met a girl named Alpha before?"

Ash shook his head, returning to reality. "Nah . . . I was just . . . thinking . . ."

"Well, quit thinking and wandering off so you can get back to your friends," she said sharply. "I'm not here for you to stare at for hours and hours."

Alpha was right. Ash had to return to reality and head back to Dawn, Brock, and his other Pokemon. Alpha was relieved to see him focus once more.

"How are we going to go across the river?" he asked. "We can't build a boat, so . . ."

"We walk on it," Alpha said simply.

"What?"

"You heard me." She was starting to become serious again. "We're walking on water."

Ash shook his head. He had to be dreaming. There was no way that he could meet a girl that looked. . . familiar. Or walk on water-whichever sounded crazier. But he had to trust Alpha, no matter how outlandish her plan was.

"How do we . . . walk on water?" he finally asked. "Is it easy?"

"As long as I am here," Alpha replied, "it will be easy. Take my hand." When she extended her hand, Ash slowly held it. Pikachu held onto him tightly and braced for the jump.

"Close your eyes," Alpha continued, "and whatever you do, do not open them. Just keep holding my hand, don't let go, and just follow me. I know where to go."

Ash nodded and tightened his hold on her hand. The two jumped, but did not splash into the river. Alpha and Ash were gently walking _on_ the river, and so far, there were no signs of danger. Alpha kept her focus on walking on the water and continued to hold Ash's hand. Ash continued to put his trust in Alpha and let his feet follow hers.

_I know who she might be,_ he thought, _but how do I ask her? How do I try to prove that she could possibly . . . ?_

They followed the river for several miles, and Ash was starting to feel somewhat tired. Alpha sensed this and pulled him closer, causing him to feel somewhat uncomfortable. By the time the path had ended, Alpha guided Ash to the shore.

"You may open your eyes now," she said.

Ash did so and noticed that she had let go of his hand. He looked around and saw smoke rising from the air in one direction. This could only mean one thing.

"Dawn! Brock! Everyone!"

* * *

**Ahaha! Ash is finally going to reunite, and Alpha will be there to watch too! Next chapter: Alpha introduces herself to everyone, and just like Ash, Brock and Dawn suspect odd things.**


End file.
